Warp-knitting machine



Dec. 5, 1967 LANDGRAF 3,355,911

WARP-KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 6, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet l \NVENTOR H060 P. LA/VOGPAF Dec. 5, 1967 H. P- LANDGRAF 3,355,911

WARP-KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 6, 196

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Hugo AAA 09 24;

Dec. 5, 1967 LANDGRA" 3,355,911

WARP-KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 6, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 NTOR Dec. 5, 1967 H. P. LANDGRAF 3,355,911

WARP-KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 6, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 VENTOR United States Patent 3,355,911 WARP-KNITTING MACHINE Hugo Paul Landgraf, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany, as-

signor to Veb Wirkmaschinenbau Limbacll-Oberfrohna, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany Filed Jan. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 423,748 3 Claims. (CI. 66-84) The present invention relates to a warp-knitting machine and to a closed weft-chain knitting produced by said machine. In particular, the warp-knitting machine is equipped with two rows of eye needles, each row forming a fringe by mutual loop transfer at individual pairs of eye needles, each fringe consisting of a double course. The eye needles of one row are all bent ofif obiquely toward one side while the needles of the other row are bent toward the other side.

In machines of this type it is permissible to impart to the rows of eye needles a mutual staggered or offset movement during the production of the fringes. T 0 this end, the eye needles are bent off at the front by one half needle division or gauge, obliquely to the side. The bends are arranged between the shafts and the front ends of these needles which are thus somewhat Z-shaped. This form of needles involves the risk, however, that they hinder each other in operation, which can easily lead to breakage. Besides, the warp yarns are in danger of being shorn off.

For these reasons it is already known to impart to at least one of the needle rows a continuous, though small staggered movement which results, however, in a reduction of the machine speed so that its efiiciency suffers.

It is the object of the present invention to eliminate these inconveniences. It is a further object to provide a warp-knitting machine, and a knitted fabric made thereby, which are superior to those hitherto known and used.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a novel knitting machine wherein specially arranged eye needles are used for producing a new type of knitted product.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a weftchain-type knitted fabric wherein double courses extend lengthwise of the fabric which are interconnected by the weft yarns.

According to one of the important features of the warpknitting machine of this invention, the eye needles of both needle rows are all arranged obliquely so that the front ends and the shafts of said needles have a common straight longitudinal axis.

Another feature relates to the fact that said eye needles have notches or depressions on their sides toward which the free ends point; and that each needle in one row is arranged with its free end oppositethe depression of the respective needle in the other row.

It is yet another feature of the inventive machine that the eye needles used therein have an inclination which, between the base and the free end of the needles, corresponds to approximately one full needle division or gauge.

As far as the fabric is concerned which is made by the warp-knitting machine mentioned above, it is an important feature of the invention that between each pair of the above-mentioned, lengthwise extending double courses at least one interconnecting weft yarn is used which surrounds both limbs of the stiches in the outermost course, and which passes through the loops interconnecting the stitches of said courses with those located directly above in the same course.

3,355,911 Patented Dec. 5, 1967.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated and more fully understood with reference to the following detailed description, when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic, perspectiveillustration of the major operating elements in the warp-knitting machine according to the invention, some co-operating elements being omitted for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a planar arrangement of a number of eye needles of both needle rows, seen from above, with the operating elements of FIG. 1 omitted for the sake of clarity;

FIGS. 3a through 3d are illustrations of the production of a fringe consisting of a double course, in four successive stages;

FIGS. 4a and 4b show the interconnecting of two fringes made according to FIGS. 3a-3d by means of a weft, in two stages; and

FIG. 5 shows the planar structural arangement of a knitted fabric made according to the invention.

The warp-knitting machine illustrated in FIG. 1 is equipped with two opopsing rows 1, 101 of eye needles 1a, 101a, for example, secured to respective needle bars 21, 121 in a conventional way, and arranged approximately at right angles to each other (see also FIGS. 3a3d, 4a and 4b). Each of the needles has the following parts, as illustrated in FIG. 2: a shaft portion 11, followed by a notched or depressed portion 12, an eye 13 for a warp yarn, a front-.

end portion 15 and a needle tip or point 16. The shafts 11 and the front ends 15 fall within the same straight longitudinal axis.

The needles of both rows all extend obliquely to the side with respect to the needle bars. The direction of inclination amounts to about one needle division or gauge between the needle bases or roots and the points, as shown in FIG. 2 by letter D. Needles 1a, 1b, 1c, etc. of one row point in one direction with their tips 16 while the needles 101a, 101b, 101e, etc. point in the other direction. The depressions 12 are on the sides to which the needles point.

The needles 1a, 101a, etc. of the rows 1, 101 are so arranged that, for example, the eye needle 1a of row 1 lies with its tip 16 opposite the depression 12 of the respective eye needles 1910 of the other row 101. The cooperation of these needle pairs will be described in full detail somewhat later in the specification.

Each needle bar 21, 121 has respective rods or bolts 23, 123 secured thereto for moving the needle rows 1, 101 up and down, perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of these rows, so as to perform a mutual transferof loops between respective needle pairs, as will be explained later. For the sake of clarity, only one bolt is shown for each needle bar. The bolts 23, 123 are axially guided in a machine frame portion, the frame being generally designated 72 in FIG. 1 of the drawing. By way of guiderods 25, 125 the bolts 23, 123 are connected to threearmed levers 27, 127 which, in turn, are supported by the machine frame 72, as shown at 29, 129, respectively.

These levers 27, 127 are actuated by cam disks 31, 131. The cam disks 31, 131 thus impart to the needle bars 21, 121 and the needles attached thereto an ascending and descending motion. The shafts carrying the cam disks 31, 131 are coordinated in their rotation so as to provide the needle movements required for the particular knitting operation to which the machine is set up.

As can be seen in the upper portion of FIG. 1, associated with needle rows 1, 101 are respective weft guides 3, 103 arranged in rows on rails 5, 165. These rails work in opposite direction. It will be understood that the lefthand ones of guides and rails, 3, 5, respectively, cooperate with the eye needles of row 101, supported by bar 121; for the sake of clearer illustration, however, all the left-hand and right-hand elements of FIG. 1 have been uniformly numbered.

A common control shaft, coordinated with the aforementioned shafts of the cam disks 31, 131, carries two additional cam disks 33, 133 serving to impart a reciprocating movement to the weft-guide rails 5, 105. Each cam disk 33, 133 is associated with a respective roller slide 35, 135 guided for axial movement in portions of the machine frame 72. The rails 5, 105 are connected with the slides 35, 135 by way of coupling rods 37, 137. T ension springs serve to hold the rails 5, 105 and the rollers at the outer ends of slides 35, 135 against the respective earn disks 33, 133.

As mentioned before, the cam disks 33, 133 impart to the weft guides 3, 103 only a movement in the longitudinal direction of the eye-needle rows 1, 101. The guides, however, must also perform a movement at right angles thereto. For this purpose, the shaft 39 which carries the cam disk 31 has a crank 40 rigidly connected therewith. A crank pin 42 on the crank 40 has a coupling rod 44 connected thereto which is articulated on a first arm 46a of a bell-crank lever; its journal 48 is stationary (e.g., by being rigid with the frame 72) while a second arm is identified by 46b.

The bell-crank arm 46!) is connected, by way of a coupling rod 50, with a lever 52 which is fixedly mounted on a shaft 54. On the latter, several carriers 55, 155 are provided for the afore-rnentioned rails 5, 105; however, only one is shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. At the free ends of the carriers 55, 155 are arranged respective guide members 7, 107 in which the rails 5, 105 are guided for axial displacement. The means herefor are only schematically indicated at 75, 175, respectively, and may consist of a shoulder, groove or the like structural expedient serving this purpose.

Each needle row 1, 101 carries a yarn chain (not shown in FIG. 1). Each pair of oppositely arranged needles (e.g. 1a, 101a) works to form a fringe consisting of a double course. Successive operational stages are shown in FIGS. 3a-3d, to be described hereafter in detail.

According to FIG. 3a, the eye needle 101a offers its loop 193, consisting of yarn 190, to the needle 1a. To this end, needle 101:: is moved so far up that its notch 12 lies in the plane of motion and the point 16 of needle 1a. FIG. 3b shows how the needle 1a enters into loop 193 of needle 101a by moving upward. The needle 1a pulls its loop 93, consisting of yarn 90, into the loop 193 of needle 101a. Beyond the position of FIG. 3b, needle is finallybrought into its upper end position which can be seen from FIG. 3c, after which the needle 101a withdraws. This way the loop 193 of needle 101a arrives at needle 1a.

In the further course needle 101a must now take over the loop 93 of needle In. To this end the needle 1a is moved slightly back so that its notch 12 lies opposite needle 101a and its point 16, after which the needle 101a is brought into the uppermost position, as it can be seen from FIG. 3d. It should be noted that needle stitches 94, 194 and sinker stitches 95, 195 have also been shown in FIGS. 3a-3d, however, they will be described somewhat later in connection with FIGS. 4a and 4b only.

With the warp-knitting machine disclosed and illustrated herein, it is also possible to make a knitting by connecting two fringes, consisting each of two double courses, with each other, by means of a weft yarn 91. This operation is illustrated in FIGS. 4a and 4b. This weft can be used in each stitch-forming step so that a weftchain is obtained.

The special weft guides (eye needles) 3, 103 are used for this purpose, the figures showing a guide 3 carrying the weft yarn 91 and associated with two pairs of needles 1a, 1010!, lb and 1011b. The guides 3 are preferably arranged on a common rail (as has been explained hereinabove by reference to rail 5) and thus form a conventional supply bar or rail.

In FIGS. 4a, 4b only a single weft guide 3 is provided for each two pairs of eye needles. All these guides are, of course, also arranged on a single rail 5. Naturally several of them could be provided, as is the case with FIG. 1 of the inventive machine.

According to FIG. 4a, it is the eye needles 1a, 1b which are to take over the loops 193 of the needles 101a, 1011). The special guide 3 covers first the needle 101a before the latter offers its loop 193 to needle 1a. In the above-described manner the needles 1a, 1b are introduced into the loops 193 of the needles 101a, 101b, after which the latter needles are withdrawn. The loops 193 of the needles 101a, 101b hang consequently on the needles 1a, 1]) whose loops 93 must now, in turn, be taken over by the needles 101a, 101b.

Before this is done, the weft guide 3 covers the needle 1b, as shown in FIG. 4b. Each weft yarn 91 embraces with its reversing points two stitches 94, 194 of the outer course of two double courses each, and in addition traverses sinker stitches 95, 195, as illustrated.

The result is the weft-chain knitting identified by numeral 200 and represented in FIG. 5.

Reference is made to appli-cants co-pending patent application, Ser. No. 423,687, filed Jan. 6, 1965, and entitled Warp-Knitting Machine and Warp Knitting Made Thereby.

A machine is described and claimed therein which has features common with the present aplication, but includes eye needles the front portions of which are bent obliquely toward one side (rather than being bent, in their entirety, toward one side in one row and toward the other side in the other row, as in the present disclosure).

Both machines, that of the present and that of the copending application, also feature operational elements specific to and cooperating with the particular type of needles for producing the respective fabrics made by the machines.

The afore-mentioned co-pending application also relates to knitted fabrics wherein the courses extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the product, the courses being formed by mutual loop transfer.

The co-pending application Ser. No. 423,687 filed Ian. 6, 1965, includes the description and illustration of various exemplary products that can be made with the novel warp-knitting machine. With certain modifications of the machine elements, the fabric described in the present application could also be produced with the machine of the co-pending application. For ready reference, identical refercnce numerals have been used throughout the two applications.

The foregoing disclosure relates only to preferred embodiments of the invention, which is intended to include all changes and modifications of the examples described within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A warp-knitting machine comprising, in combination, two rows of reciprocable eye needles adapted for mutual loop transfer, a needle bar for each row of said eye needles, means for independently reciprocating each needle bar substantially at right angles with respect to one another, said eye needles being obliquely bent off with respect to said needle bars toward one direction in one row and toward the opposite direction in the other row, each needle having a shaft portion and a front portion substantially coaxial therewith, and each needle having a depression between said shaft and said front portions, said depressions being on that side of said eye needles toward which said eye needles are bent off, said ends of the front portions in one eye-needle row being approximately opposite said depressions in the other eye-needle row.

2. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein said eye needles are obliquely bent off between the ends of said front portions and said shaft portions of said needles corresponding approximately to one full needle division.

3. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of weft :guides for guiding weft yarn to said eye needles.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1918 Kopp 66-87 X 2/1956 Porter 66-86 11/1961 Kohl 66-86 7/ 1962 Kasey 66-195 12/ 1962 Kohl 66-86 12/1962 Bolton 66-195 8/1964 Palange 61-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 7/ 1931 Denmark.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WARP-KNITTING MACHINE COMPRISING, COMBINATION, TWO ROWS OF RECIPROCABLE EYE NEEDLES ADAPTED FOR MUTUAL LOOP TRANSFER, A NEEDLE BAR FOR EACH ROW OF SAID EYE NEEDLES, MEANS FOR INDEPENDENTLY RECIPROCATING EACH NEEDLE BAR SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, SAID EYE NEEDLES BEING OBLIQUELY BENT OFF WITH RESPECT TO SAID NEEDLE BARS TOWARD ONE DIRECTION IN ONE ROW AND TOWARD THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IN THE OTHER ROW, EACH NEEDLE HAVING A SHAFT PORTION AND A FRONT PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL THEREWITH, AND EACH NEEDLE HAVING A DEPRESSION BETWEEN SAID SHAFT AND FRONT PORTIONS, SAID DEPRESSIONS BEING ON THAT SIDE OF SAID EYE NEEDLES TOWARD WHICH SAID EYE NEEDLES ARE BENT OFF, SAID ENDS OF 